Vice TV’s hit show “Dark Side of the Ring” is officially coming back. The professional wrestling documentary series amassed thoroughly positive results with a high amount of viewership in its second season. The decision to add a third season was announced on October 19th. The underground knockout returns next year, and the series’ third season will have 14 episodes. At this point, it’s unclear which stories will be covered.
What does the series cover about the world of professional wrestling?
The most important lesson from this documentary series is that even in the world of sports entertainment, things can still go terribly wrong. Although matches are fixed, controversy can still take place. Conspiracy theories and infamy come with the territory.
“Dark Side of the Ring” covers the most infamous and controversial stories and incidents in the history of professional wrestling. The killing of Bruiser Brody, the assassination of Dino Bravo, and the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide in 2007 are all subjects. Additionally, the series covered the infamous “Montreal Screwjob” incident, the 1998 Brawl for All, as well as the incident at the “Over The Edge” pay-per-view show in 1999. Owen Hart fell to his death while making his entrance to the ring, falling from the rafters of Kansas City’s Kemper Arena.
There was an episode covering Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and the mysterious death of his girlfriend Nancy Argentino in 1983. Another featured The Von Erichs, one of the most famous wrestling families, and an episode about the Road Warriors, the most popular tag-team in the history of professional wrestling.
Which episode is the most controversial?
While controversy is the basis of every episode, most also involve mysteries which remain unsolved to this day. One episode tells the story about a wrestler who slapped a reporter for calling wrestling fake.
However, there’s an episode called “The Life and Crimes of New Jack” and it takes the series’ notorious subjects to a whole new level. New Jack is often considered to be the most violent professional wrestler of all time. Aside from being known for his brutal hardcore wrestling style, New Jack (while performing for Extreme Championship Wrestling) also pulled dangerous stunts like diving from high balconies onto an opponent laying on a table. He was also revered for coming into the ring with a trash can full of weapons and having his entrance music (“Natural Born Killaz” by Dr. Dre and Ice Cube) play before his matches.
“The Life and Crimes of New Jack” take the viewers on a journey of the wrestler’s career from Smoky Mountain Wrestling to ECW to the independent circuit. The audience also learns of the man’s brutal childhood. In a nutshell, the entire episode is clear about exactly who New Jack is.
In 2004, at an independent show in Florida, New Jack stabbed a wrestler nine times during a match. It’s quite clear from this point on that the Life and Crimes of New Jack is the most controversial episode. The viewer learns that New Jack was a wrestler who never shied away from controversy. Blood and violence was New Jack’s forte.
What do viewers gain from watching “Dark Side of the Ring”?
The viewers gain some historical knowledge. This series is about educating viewers on what happened with certain infamous incidents and events in pro wrestling. Especially “The Montreal Screwjob”, Owen Hart’s death, “The Brawl For All”, “The Life and Crimes of New Jack”… and the list goes on.
Each episode will open the viewers’ eyes and let them in on what truly happened regarding each incident and receive unique insight. As far as “Dark Side of the Ring” goes, to say that viewers will learn a thing or two is a major understatement.
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